let detroit go bankrupt. this was a guy who was using his greatest name-recognition strength to try and take president obama down. that was in april of 2008. >> john, let's watch some of the facts from last night. we're going to try to take the onion skin off of some of this. on wednesday night paul ryan was criticized for a massive number of distortions in his speech. some of them revised history leaving out the inconvenient fact that the republican party spent the past 3 1/2 years refusing any opportunity to compromise with president obama. anyway, for example, ryan put the blame for the country's credit downgrade squarely on the shoulders of president obama. let's listen. >> it began with a perfect aaa credit rating for the united states. it ends with a downgraded america. >> the reason the country's debt rating was downgraded is everyone who watches this program and others on msnbc and read the newspapers know, it had a lot to do with the republican congress playing a dangerous game of chicken over the de